Removing Facebook from my Phone

I removed Facebook and Facebook Messenger from my phone yesterday. I’m not deleting the account entirely, because it’s useful to have the account (there are a number of people I can only reach through Facebook), but yeah… kind of “over” the brand of social that seems to have evolved at Facebook.

Over the last year or so I’ve found myself actively avoiding the Facebook homepage. I’m not entirely sure if it’s down to the collection of people I follow, or the behavior the Facebook feed algorithm rewards – because it doesn’t show you everything by default – it has somehow turned into an enormous pissing competition.

The worst time of the year to visit Facebook hasÂ to be Christmas. An endless stream of posts showing off Christmas decorations, parties, food, gatherings of friends, and general “look how fabulous the life I have constructed in these posts is”. Don’t even get me started on the small business owners that spam any part of Facebook they can reach, or even change their name to promote themselves at every opportunity. Idiots.

Perhaps it’s an age thing. Maybe I’m over the whole temptation to tell everybody I know anything about what I’m doing, or what I hope to do. I realise this is a ridiculous statement, given that I write this blog almost every day, but then I’m not forcing this blog in front of everybody I know. It’s just out here – on the internet – and people can choose to visit if they want.

Anyway. I’ll see how it goes. Maybe I’ll start to feel a bit better about myself in the long run – not having the temptation to look in on the vocal minority that insist of advertising their pretend life to whoever they can get to listen.